Comments on: 20 Ways to Save Time and Money in the Kitchen http://cashmoneylife.com/2008/09/03/20-ways-to-save-time-and-money-in-the-kitchen/ Money Management, Small Business, Career Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:44:55 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Patrick http://cashmoneylife.com/2008/09/03/20-ways-to-save-time-and-money-in-the-kitchen/comment-page-1/#comment-18155 Patrick Fri, 15 May 2009 01:42:08 +0000 http://cashmoneylife.com/?p=909#comment-18155 Excellent tips, Matt! My wife loves watching Alton Brown. I think I Will have t o get that book for her. :-) Excellent tips, Matt! My wife loves watching Alton Brown. I think I Will have t o get that book for her. :-)

]]> By: Matt http://cashmoneylife.com/2008/09/03/20-ways-to-save-time-and-money-in-the-kitchen/comment-page-1/#comment-18147 Matt Thu, 14 May 2009 19:11:06 +0000 http://cashmoneylife.com/?p=909#comment-18147 Like Jamie, I have a series of weekly meals planned out with attached shopping lists. The amount of headaches this saves is tremendous. Plus the added benefit of pre-planned nutritionally balanced meals for the week so I know we get a full compliment of vitamins, minerals and other essentials. My girlfriend hates to cook, and is a picky eater to boot - so it is always a challenge to get an acceptable variety of dishes with high nutritional value. Here are some more successes - Home-made hummus, which is a fraction of the cost of store brands and keeps for weeks. One of the most healthy things you can eat and goes great on everything. Pepperoni or other cured meat, Camembert, and fruit for a quick lunch/dinner. Lavash wraps turn any tired salad into a wonderful lunch - try adding some fruit, black beans, pecans, and habaneros to spice up your normal salad routine. Avocados are your best friend. While they have a short shelf-life, they require little preparation and are a superb source of vegetable protein and fatty acids. I make a mean BLT with cheese and avocado on it (and some chipotle mayo). It's heaven. One supplies a full compliment of fats for two people for a day. To save money, make your own vinaigrette's. I usually use (roughly) 1 part wh.wine/vinegar, 1 part lemon/line juice, 1 part honey, 1 part mustard, garlic, spices, raspberries or other fruit or preserves, and then emulsify with 3-4 parts your choice of olive or other oil. It will keep for a week or two and blows the socks off of anything you can buy in the store. Change it up with apricot/mandarin preserves, 1/2pt soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, and toasted sesame oil for an Asian twist. Also, I keep any perishables in the fridge, including bread. You have to be careful of moisture content but it keeps longer. Refrigerate your unripe fruits for longevity and put the one you want to use in a brown paper bag on the table at room temp - it will usually be ripe in 3-4 hours. Great for mangoes, kiwi, bananas, and of course avocado. To help fruit/veggies retain shape and flavor in the freezer, blanche them first - ascorbic acid (vit c.) helps fruits, salt helps veggies. All these tips and just about everything else I know about cooking is derived from Alton brown and Harold McGee's book "On Food and Cooking". If you are serious about controlling your nutrition and costs, pick up this book - it has everything you ever wanted to know about anything humans have eaten in the past 5,000 years. Like Jamie, I have a series of weekly meals planned out with attached shopping lists. The amount of headaches this saves is tremendous. Plus the added benefit of pre-planned nutritionally balanced meals for the week so I know we get a full compliment of vitamins, minerals and other essentials. My girlfriend hates to cook, and is a picky eater to boot – so it is always a challenge to get an acceptable variety of dishes with high nutritional value. Here are some more successes -

Home-made hummus, which is a fraction of the cost of store brands and keeps for weeks. One of the most healthy things you can eat and goes great on everything.

Pepperoni or other cured meat, Camembert, and fruit for a quick lunch/dinner.

Lavash wraps turn any tired salad into a wonderful lunch – try adding some fruit, black beans, pecans, and habaneros to spice up your normal salad routine.

Avocados are your best friend. While they have a short shelf-life, they require little preparation and are a superb source of vegetable protein and fatty acids. I make a mean BLT with cheese and avocado on it (and some chipotle mayo). It’s heaven. One supplies a full compliment of fats for two people for a day.

To save money, make your own vinaigrette’s. I usually use (roughly) 1 part wh.wine/vinegar, 1 part lemon/line juice, 1 part honey, 1 part mustard, garlic, spices, raspberries or other fruit or preserves, and then emulsify with 3-4 parts your choice of olive or other oil. It will keep for a week or two and blows the socks off of anything you can buy in the store. Change it up with apricot/mandarin preserves, 1/2pt soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, and toasted sesame oil for an Asian twist.

Also, I keep any perishables in the fridge, including bread. You have to be careful of moisture content but it keeps longer. Refrigerate your unripe fruits for longevity and put the one you want to use in a brown paper bag on the table at room temp – it will usually be ripe in 3-4 hours. Great for mangoes, kiwi, bananas, and of course avocado.

To help fruit/veggies retain shape and flavor in the freezer, blanche them first – ascorbic acid (vit c.) helps fruits, salt helps veggies.

All these tips and just about everything else I know about cooking is derived from Alton brown and Harold McGee’s book “On Food and Cooking”.

If you are serious about controlling your nutrition and costs, pick up this book – it has everything you ever wanted to know about anything humans have eaten in the past 5,000 years.

]]> By: Patrick http://cashmoneylife.com/2008/09/03/20-ways-to-save-time-and-money-in-the-kitchen/comment-page-1/#comment-15129 Patrick Wed, 12 Nov 2008 04:55:23 +0000 http://cashmoneylife.com/?p=909#comment-15129 Great tip, Don. Thanks for sharing! :-) Great tip, Don. Thanks for sharing! :-)

]]> By: Don Jensen http://cashmoneylife.com/2008/09/03/20-ways-to-save-time-and-money-in-the-kitchen/comment-page-1/#comment-15115 Don Jensen Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:26:37 +0000 http://cashmoneylife.com/?p=909#comment-15115 When we have lightly used paper towels and napkins we throw them in a plastic bag to go out to the garage for checking oil in cars. lawn tractor and other dirty jobs. Works great! When we have lightly used paper towels and napkins we throw them in a plastic bag to go out to the garage for checking oil in cars. lawn tractor and other dirty jobs. Works great!

]]> By: Sherry http://cashmoneylife.com/2008/09/03/20-ways-to-save-time-and-money-in-the-kitchen/comment-page-1/#comment-15114 Sherry Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:55:35 +0000 http://cashmoneylife.com/?p=909#comment-15114 Make ahead meals are great. One of my family's favorites is eggplant parmesian. My teenage boys are usually the first to the table when I prepare this dish. I have also spent just $25 dollars and fed about 20 college students by making this dish and adding salad, green beans and garlic toast. Make ahead meals are great. One of my family’s favorites is eggplant parmesian. My teenage boys are usually the first to the table when I prepare this dish. I have also spent just $25 dollars and fed about 20 college students by making this dish and adding salad, green beans and garlic toast.

]]> By: anon http://cashmoneylife.com/2008/09/03/20-ways-to-save-time-and-money-in-the-kitchen/comment-page-1/#comment-13388 anon Mon, 15 Sep 2008 06:34:40 +0000 http://cashmoneylife.com/?p=909#comment-13388 As for (13), I suggest using cast-iron frying pans. The burnt oil acts as a nonstick coating, making them easy to clean, and you just wipe or rinse after use -- no soap required. The pans last longer than regular nonstick ones, since if the finish comes off you just need to add oil and cook something. They're extra thick, so the heat is distributed evenly over the surface. Finally, you don't get Teflon flakes in your food. As for (13), I suggest using cast-iron frying pans. The burnt oil acts as a nonstick coating, making them easy to clean, and you just wipe or rinse after use — no soap required. The pans last longer than regular nonstick ones, since if the finish comes off you just need to add oil and cook something. They’re extra thick, so the heat is distributed evenly over the surface. Finally, you don’t get Teflon flakes in your food.

]]> By: Patrick http://cashmoneylife.com/2008/09/03/20-ways-to-save-time-and-money-in-the-kitchen/comment-page-1/#comment-13312 Patrick Fri, 12 Sep 2008 01:11:59 +0000 http://cashmoneylife.com/?p=909#comment-13312 Jamie, That is a very organized approach to family meals! Even though you don't base your menu upon sale items, I'm sure you save money when you shop because you maintain the discipline of shopping for a menu - instead of blindly filling your cart with whatever strikes your fancy at the moment. Thanks for sharing your tip! Jamie, That is a very organized approach to family meals! Even though you don’t base your menu upon sale items, I’m sure you save money when you shop because you maintain the discipline of shopping for a menu – instead of blindly filling your cart with whatever strikes your fancy at the moment. Thanks for sharing your tip!

]]> By: Jamie http://cashmoneylife.com/2008/09/03/20-ways-to-save-time-and-money-in-the-kitchen/comment-page-1/#comment-13285 Jamie Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:21:07 +0000 http://cashmoneylife.com/?p=909#comment-13285 I save time and stress by having 26 weekly dinner menues written out with the associated shopping list with it. I pick my menu on Saturday and pull out the shopping list. I mark out what I don't need and add other items that have been jotted down all week on "we're out of..." list. Then off to the grocery store I go. I realize this doesn't necessarily save money as I'm not choosing my menu based on sales, but I look for loss leaders while in the store and stock up if it's an item I know we'll use. I'm a mom to three young, busy children, a wife, have a full time job, am working on my masters and am active in my church and kids' schools. I no longer stress over menu preparation or list making. The time saved is worth the time I put into the original menues. I save time and stress by having 26 weekly dinner menues written out with the associated shopping list with it. I pick my menu on Saturday and pull out the shopping list. I mark out what I don’t need and add other items that have been jotted down all week on “we’re out of…” list. Then off to the grocery store I go. I realize this doesn’t necessarily save money as I’m not choosing my menu based on sales, but I look for loss leaders while in the store and stock up if it’s an item I know we’ll use. I’m a mom to three young, busy children, a wife, have a full time job, am working on my masters and am active in my church and kids’ schools. I no longer stress over menu preparation or list making. The time saved is worth the time I put into the original menues.

]]> By: Topwaystosave http://cashmoneylife.com/2008/09/03/20-ways-to-save-time-and-money-in-the-kitchen/comment-page-1/#comment-13139 Topwaystosave Sun, 07 Sep 2008 05:38:15 +0000 http://cashmoneylife.com/?p=909#comment-13139 I love how you threw in the Rotisserie chicken in there. My wife and I do the same. You can a great size chicken and Costco which is delicious for about $6 and its plenty enough for 2 people with some left over. I love how you threw in the Rotisserie chicken in there. My wife and I do the same. You can a great size chicken and Costco which is delicious for about $6 and its plenty enough for 2 people with some left over.

]]> By: Patrick http://cashmoneylife.com/2008/09/03/20-ways-to-save-time-and-money-in-the-kitchen/comment-page-1/#comment-13042 Patrick Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:32:18 +0000 http://cashmoneylife.com/?p=909#comment-13042 <b>Kate:</b> I agree - I love leftovers! It took me awhile to convince my wife to try cooking more though because she grew up in a household where only the amount needed for that meal was cooked. There is nothing wrong with that, of course, but it saves a lot of time and energy to cook less frequently. Thanks for stopping by! :) <b>Laura:</b> Lasagna, pasta, chili and stews... Mmm. All are great the next day! Kate: I agree – I love leftovers! It took me awhile to convince my wife to try cooking more though because she grew up in a household where only the amount needed for that meal was cooked. There is nothing wrong with that, of course, but it saves a lot of time and energy to cook less frequently. Thanks for stopping by! :)

Laura: Lasagna, pasta, chili and stews… Mmm. All are great the next day!

]]>